Foodcrawling: Street Eats in Ensenada, Mexico

Contrary to popular thought, Baja fish tacos don’t come from Los Cabos or even San Diego (though you can certainly find them in either place). They originally hail from Ensenada, the coastal town in northern Baja that has one of Mexico’s most enticing street food scenes.

Fish tacos, which some say were influenced by Japanese fishermen who brought the technique of tempura here, are the focal point of Ensenada’s street food scene. Standard Baja fish tacos in Ensenada are battered and fried, typically using cazón, or dogfish, though mako shark and angel shark are also common. They are served on a corn tortilla with crema agria (mayo with 2% milk), pickled vegetables, and usually a choice of salsas, begging the question: How spicy do you like it?. A comal de acero, a stainless steel disc shaped concave griddle, is the most common frying utensil in market stalls and street carts.

Ensenada is much more than the fish taco, though. There are street eats of all sorts, though seafood is the favorite filling. Here are five cannot-miss street food spots in Ensenada:

Tacos Mi Ranchito El Fenix. Corner of Espinosa and Avenida Juárez.

Many claim El Fenix – along with it’s smaller stand Puesto El Fenix one block away – are the archetypal Baja fish taco joint, a corner taqueria with street side stools on each side and a small patio with picnic table seating. The secret to their success is in the thick cut, the batter, and the double frying. It's strickly cazón in their tacos de pescado (above) here so don't bother asking for swaps though shrimp tacos are on the menu. On your way out, stop at the massive counter full of fresh salsas and pickled vegetables. 

La Guerrerense. Corner of Alvarado and 1st (Lopez Mateos).

Just a few steps form the Mercado de Mariscos, Ensenada’s seafood market, La Guerrerense is the port town’s prime ceviche vendor and has held that title for half a century. While you can find Ensenada style ceviches, which generally use raw, fresh, ground seafood with onions, cilantro, and lime, from carts all over town, La Guerrerense personalizes the mix with shrimp, octopus, sea urchin, sea cucumber, sea snail, crab, clam, cod, or mussels. Wash it down with a glass of refreshing agua de cebada, or barley water. 

Tacos La Floresta. Corner of Floresta and Avenida Juárez.

One of the most popular stands (and often listed in guidebooks), La Floresta uses thin cut, thickly-battered mako shark for its tacos. The small white shack – seriously, it’s a shack – slings out tacos with their own unique flavor, topped with spicy salsas they make from scratch. 

Fish Tacos Ensenada. Corner of Gastellum and Avenida Juárez.

OK, so the name isn’t great. Or maybe it is? It says exactly what they are offering. Both cazón and camaron (shrimp) are the specialty, which are seasoned with garlic and then fried in lard. They offer half dozen salsas with their tacos, ranging from an earthy chile de arbol to a steamy habanero. 

Tacos Marco Antonio. Avenida Rayon between 3rd and 4th.

After tiring of Baja fish tacos in Ensenada, if that's even possible, there are tacos de guisado, tacos stuffed with stewed (not fried) seafood. Here, at the small stand beside the family’s cannery, there are more than a dozen flavors that you probably won’t find anywhere else in Ensenada, such as tuna adobado (tuna in a chile and pineapple sauce), tuna ranchero (tuna in a spicy cream sauce), caguamanta (manta ray), and fried fish skin.